Donald McHenry
| Donald McHenry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
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In office September 23, 1979 – January 20, 1981 |
|
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Andrew Young |
| Succeeded by | Jeane Kirkpatrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 13, 1936 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education |
Illinois State University (BS) Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (MS) Georgetown University |
Donald Franchot McHenry (born October 13, 1936) is a former American diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from September 1979 until January 20, 1981.
McHenry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up across the river in East St. Louis, Illinois. He attended Illinois State University, graduating with a BS in 1957. He then continued on to earn a master's degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1959 and began a doctoral program at Georgetown University.
McHenry spent much of his career working in foreign diplomacy. He began working with the United States Department of State in 1963, and spent eight years there. From 1971 to 1976, he worked for a series of private think-tanks - the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - writing about foreign policy.
In 1976, McHenry served as a member of President Carter's transition staff at the State Department before joining the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. In March 1977, he was appointed as the U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations Security Council.
In August 1979, McHenry was the principal negotiator for the United States when a Soviet airliner carrying Russian ballerina Ludmila Vlasova was prevented from taking off by Port Authority Police. Acting Secretary of State Warren Christopher had ordered the interception because Vlasova's husband, Alexander Godunov, who had defected two days earlier had expressed his belief that his wife was returning to the Soviet Union against her will. Vlasova steadily maintained that she was returning voluntarily, but the U.S. representation was unwilling to accept her statement unless they could speak with her in the absence of Soviet officials. This request was denied.
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